• Japanese company introduces “HP” badge to help employees communicate

    by on July 13, 2022 at 12:22 AM, EDT

    Onken HP Badge

    A Japanese company has introduced a novel tool to help their employees communicate their level of stress. Employees were given three different RPG-style “HP” badges to silently inform their peers when they couldn’t take on any more work, or just aren’t feeling 100%.

    The badges were posted online by Japanese Twitter account @onkenkenken who posted a pile of badges ready to be handed out in the office. Onkenken represents Tokyo-based media company Onken who have begun this new trend around the office.

    It’s no secret that Japanese work culture is stereotyped as ruthless and clinical, and steps have been taken on larger scales. For instance Japan’s “Cool Biz” campaign which encouraged government workers to forgo a jacket and tie in summer months as opposed to cranking up the air conditioner. This trend took off in the private sector as well in large companies such as Toyota.

    What do you think about these HP badges to help out overworked and stressed coworkers? Let us know in the comments!

    This is Nicchiban Culture. In this column, we regularly cover Japanese culture, geek culture, and things related to anime. Please leave feedback and let us know if there’s something you want us to cover!


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    A basement-dwelling ogre, Brandon's a fan of indie games and slice of life anime. Has too many games and not enough time.


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